Debates of April 12th, 2021

Health

[Patty Hajdu, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, I will point the member to the NACI website, which will list the decisions that NACI has made and the underpinning science and research behind those decisions. I will also point out that any Canadian, in fact anyone across the world, can sign up for regular updates from NACI. I have and it is very helpful.

[Michelle Rempel, Conservative, Calgary Nose Hill, AB]

Mr. Speaker, that is a bit misleading, because NACI has not allowed media access into its meetings.

In the last couple of weeks, we have had advice that said that AstraZeneca is safe for all age groups; then that it is only safe for those 55 to 63, but not those under 55; then the federal government said it was pausing the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine, and a few minutes later said it was not pausing the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine, or the other way around.

Given that NACI is a body created and appointed by the federal government, will the minister give a directive to allow media into the meetings?

[Patty Hajdu, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, as we have talked about before, as science and research evolves, so will the advice from the variety of different researchers and scientists who are advising Canadians.

I will also point to the fact that it appears the member opposite is in fact trying to instill fear and anxiety in Canadians. I would say that now is the time to remind Canadians that any vaccine approved for use in Canada is safe. We will continue to monitor science and research, and update Canadians as that science and research evolves.

Foreign Affairs

[Pierre Paul-Hus, Conservative, Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I will put this question to the government again because my colleague did not get an answer earlier.

Over the weekend, it was reported that funding for the Halifax International Security Forum would be cut because the forum wanted to award the John McCain Prize to Taiwan's president, a woman who is fighting for democracy around the world.

I would like to know if the government has changed its mind. Will it maintain funding for this important security forum?

[Harjit S. Sajjan, Liberal, Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, it is an independent organization and makes its own decisions regarding these matters. In fact, when it comes to the funding, I authorized two separate funding authorizations in the last year; one in September and one in November.

We have supported the Halifax International Security Forum for the last 10 years.

Public Services and Procurement

[Pierre Paul-Hus, Conservative, Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I would now like to come back to the vaccines.

For months, the Prime Minister stood in this House and told Canadians over and over that we had the largest vaccine portfolio in the world. The truth is that the Prime Minister has failed.

Yesterday the Globe and Mail reported that Canada had surpassed the United States for the first time in the number of cases per one million people. The United States is gradually returning to normal life. Here, provinces are having to tighten and add controls. Canadians are stepping up, but they are tired of living with uncertainty.

When will the Prime Minister admit that he failed in negotiating vaccine contracts, which is why we are still in the grip of the pandemic?

[Anita Anand, Liberal, Minister of Public Services and Procurement]

Mr. Speaker, let me begin by saying that 20% of Canadians have received at least one dose of vaccine.

Canada now stands eighth in the G20 in terms of doses administered per 100 people. We have received 10.5 million doses in this country to date. We are on track to receive 44 million doses by the end of June and 110 million doses by the end of September.

I would ask the opposition to co-operate and collaborate with all Canadians in the middle of this third wave so that we can ensure all Canadians are vaccinated as soon as possible.

Pensions

[Andréanne Larouche, Bloc, Shefford, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals passed a resolution at their convention calling for old age security to be increased as of age 70, instead of 75, as the government wants. They are getting closer to the Bloc's position, which is to increase old age security for everyone 65 and older. That is the right position. The current proposal would create two classes of seniors: those aged 65 to 70 and those 70 and older.

Why not simply increase old age security for everyone as of age 65?

[Deb Schulte, Liberal, Minister of Seniors]

Mr. Speaker, we know seniors are living longer than ever before and are worried about rising health care costs and running out of savings as they get older.

That is why we have reaffirmed our commitment to increase the old age pension by 10% for seniors aged 75 and over. It will bolster the financial security of over three million seniors and lift 25,000 seniors out of poverty, two-thirds of whom are women.

Seniors built the Canada we know and love today, and they can be assured that our government will be there for them.

[Andréanne Larouche, Bloc, Shefford, QC]

Mr. Speaker, that is still discrimination on the basis of age.

All seniors are experiencing a decline in purchasing power. All seniors are facing increased costs because of the pandemic. All seniors are suffering from the stay-at-home and isolation measures, and they are making sacrifices. All seniors deserve better support from the federal government.

The government is finally recognizing that this is a problem and has publicly declared that it will increase old age security. How can it justify its illogical decision to seniors aged 65 to 75 that are being left behind and to those over the age of 75?

[Deb Schulte, Liberal, Minister of Seniors]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to touch on the point that my colleague raised about seniors' isolation, because it is a very serious issue that we are dealing with.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, programs supporting local seniors and seniors organizations are more important than ever before. We have funded over 5,000 community support projects, supporting seniors to stay active and socially connected during the pandemic through the new horizons for seniors program. This year, increased funding and improvements to the program resulted in the highest number of applications ever, almost double the number of projects serving rural seniors and a greater share of funded projects for vulnerable seniors. It is important that we provide them with programs and support that they need and deserve.

The Economy

[Raquel Dancho, Conservative, Kildonan—St. Paul, MB]

Mr. Speaker, the universal basic income, UBI, is an expensive, risky and untested experiment that will leave millions of Canadians behind as we continue to battle the pandemic.

An extensive study was done by economists from three of Canada's leading universities. UBI is “not the best policy option to effectively tackle poverty”. It will instead leave seniors, people with disabilities, youth aging out of care and low-income Canadians worse off. Further, we know that UBI is estimated to cost an additional $93 billion annually.

Will the Prime Minister be cutting critical social programs or raising taxes to fund this risky experiment, or both?

[Sean Fraser, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance and to the Minister of Middle Class Prosperity and Associate Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, at the outset of this pandemic, we made certain that we were going to be there for Canadians in their time of need. That approach led to the creation of the Canada emergency response benefit, which has now landed on the kitchen tables of more than nine million Canadians. As we come out of this pandemic and look to continue to support Canadians as we enter the recovery phase, we are going to be considering different options to ensure that Canadians have the means to make ends meet now and going forward.

My message to everyone listening today is that we are going to be there for them as long as it takes, no matter what it takes.

Telecommunications

[Lianne Rood, Conservative, Lambton—Kent—Middlesex, ON]

Mr. Speaker, with the ongoing lockdowns, thanks to the Prime Minister's vaccine problems, Canadians who live and work in rural communities are stuck without reliable Internet broadband service. Farms and small businesses are severely hampered by no access to high-speed Internet for conducting daily business, like processing credit card transactions or monitoring their barns or greenhouses. Even cell-based Internet is intermittent at best and it can cost hundreds of dollars a month.

When will this government stop the empty promises and start delivering reliable broadband for rural Canadians?

[Maryam Monsef, Liberal, Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Rural Economic Development]

Mr. Speaker, life without high-speed Internet and cell service is difficult in the best of times. It has been particularly hard for rural and suburban Canadians, and Canadians living in smaller communities.

We have been working to connect Canadians since our first mandate, and we have set aside the single largest investment in Canadian history in broadband. Just last week, we announced the connections along the Highway of Tears. We are connecting tens of thousands of Canadians through the rapid response universal broadband fund. We are working with our partners at SWIFT and EORN and there is more good news to come.

[Richard Lehoux, Conservative, Beauce, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberal government continues to fail Quebeckers and all other Canadians when it comes to high-speed Internet.

While the big players keep receiving taxpayers' money, they continue to connect senior executives, like the CEO of Bell. In nearby areas, only 20% of Quebeckers have adequate service. There is even a petition circulating in the riding of the Liberal member for the Pontiac.

The Liberals are now in full election mode and making empty promises as usual. When will there be a real action plan?

[Maryam Monsef, Liberal, Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Rural Economic Development]

Mr. Speaker, we delivered for Quebeckers.

The Prime Minister made a historic announcement with the Premier of Quebec to connect every single Quebecker to high-speed Internet over the next two years. This is a reflection of the hard work of the Liberal Quebeckers in caucus. They have done the heavy lifting, we are getting Quebeckers connected, and we will connect every Canadian to this essential service.

Fisheries and Oceans

[Mike Kelloway, Liberal, Cape Breton—Canso, NS]

Mr. Speaker, the inshore fisheries of Canada's east coast are often family-run businesses that drive rural, local, regional and national economies. The fisheries in Cape Breton—Canso are the pride of our communities. I would like to know how our government is helping these family-run businesses prosper during these difficult times.

[Bernadette Jordan, Liberal, Minister of Fisheries]

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my hon. colleague for his hard work, working with harvesters, as well as the seafood sector in his riding.

I am pleased to announce that our government put in place new measures to strengthen the independence of our hard-working interim licence-holders in Quebec and Atlantic Canada to ensure that economic benefits stay with them and within their communities. By enshrining the policies of owner-operator and fleet separation into law, we will be able to ensure that the revenue from the fisheries stays in our coastal rural communities.

Health

[Todd Doherty, Conservative, Cariboo—Prince George, BC]

Mr. Speaker, last weekend the Prime Minister had the opportunity to acknowledge Canada’s mental health crisis and the ongoing opioid crisis as he addressed his Liberal colleagues. Not once did he mention mental health or opioids. A hundred and forty days ago, parliamentarians voted unanimously to implement 988 as a three-digit national suicide hotline. Where is it?

Liberal amendments to MAID, unbelievably, will make it easier for Canadians struggling with mental illness to end their lives. As Canadians faces two crises that are worsening by the day, why has the Prime Minister thrown in the towel and given up on our most vulnerable?

[Patty Hajdu, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, the member opposite knows that none of that is true and he also knows that we have done more than any government to manage and support people who are living with opioid issues and problematic substance use. He also knows that it was actually the Conservatives who had a very cruel policy of eliminating harm reduction and refusing to look at the evidence and science on substance use.

I will continue to work with the member opposite on the hotline that he knows we are working with him on, but it would be very helpful if the member opposite acknowledged things like wellnesstogether.ca so his constituents as well can get access to the help they need.

COVID-19 Emergency Response

[Glen Motz, Conservative, Medicine Hat—Cardston—Warner, AB]

Mr. Speaker, pandemic restrictions are supposed to be temporary measures to buy time and get appropriate plans in place to protect Canadians. Emergency management best practices are designed to, one, contain the spread and reduce illness and death; two, mitigate societal disruption; three, minimize adverse economic impacts; and four, support the efficient use of resources. The Liberals have failed on all four. Why? Because they continue to ignore the practices of emergency management.

When will Canadians be given an actual plan on recovery?

[Patty Hajdu, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, every step of the way we have been there for provinces and territories, in fact, to do exactly what the member has suggested. We have provided billions of dollars. We have provided evidence, expertise, additional hands, rapid response programs, the Canadian Red Cross, even more money, all the vaccines, all the testing, all the PPE. We have done everything we can and we will continue to do everything we can so that every Canadian can get through this safely. We will continue to be there for provinces and territories as they deliver on their health care responsibilities.

The Economy

[Marty Morantz, Conservative, Charleswood—St. James—Assiniboia—Headingley, MB]

Mr. Speaker, to pay for raises, jet rides, payments to insiders and other lavish expenses, the Liberal government continues to increase taxes on Canadians who are just barely getting by. For some, a nice cold beer on a hot summer’s day was a relatively inexpensive comfort, but, sadly, that too is being taxed away. Is nothing sacred anymore?

What other taxes is the government going to increase to pay for its lavish expenses?

[Sean Fraser, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance and to the Minister of Middle Class Prosperity and Associate Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, with great respect to my hon. colleague, the line of questioning he just launched is absolutely ludicrous. From day one, we have made it a priority to support middle-class Canadians and have not been afraid to ask the wealthiest Canadians to pay more. The very first thing we did when we came into office was to raise taxes on the wealthiest 1% and cut them for the middle class. We extended the Canada child benefit program to put more money in the pockets of nine out of 10 Canadian families. The very first thing we did after the 2019 campaign was to offer a middle-class tax cut for 20 million Canadians.

The thing that these policies have in common is the Conservatives voted against them, so I will take no lessons from my hon. colleague opposite.